The Perfect Place for a Proposal
by Mrs Dionysius O'Gall
Summary: We've heard from the Perfect Dress, and the Perfect Tux. But people, people! How can we forget about the perfect place for a proposal?


I'm the misbegotten one among my kind. I didn't start my life the usual way. I started off quite differently, and sometimes people looked down on me for that. Actually, some people, like the rich lady from Hartford, still look down on me. But I'll have her, and you, know that I was quite successful in my previous life.

When I was young, all the action in town revolved around me. Everyone came to me, and while going about their business, I got to know the townspeople really well. Miss Patty, Taylor, Andrew, Gypsy, Kirk, Morey, Babette, Lucas, Liz--I knew them when. And the young ones--Rory, Dean, Lindsey, Lane--they know me only in my new incarnation.

About fifteen years ago, I underwent the Change. I know it happens to my kind. I somehow hoped it wouldn't, but there's no fighting Mother Nature. Some days, I felt not quite at home within my new self; kind of like a wolf in sheep's clothing. I still had the name, but not the purpose. Everything about my new being seemed off. The smells were strange and the feelings were just so different. I didn't think it would happen to me, you know? But it did.

For a long time, the new me was just run-of-the-mill. At first, the Change was not welcomed by others. But then, as they got to know the new me, they accepted me for who I am now. Dependable. Hospitable. Nothing pretentious. But a very special place, nonetheless. So, people came, people sat down, people ate, people left. Yeah, the transition from Williams Hardware to Luke's Diner was rough on me, but on my owner? Much worse.

Do you know that there's one part of me that has never changed? My owner has only showed it to two people. Chatty Lady and Chatty Girl. More about them later.

Over time, my owner and me, we got used to each other, until we became an extension of each other. I'm basically the same old same old, solid, squat, dependable. A good place to gather, just like when I was owned by his daddy.

But same old, same old can be boring. And that's why my new role is so exciting! Lately, darlings, it seems that I am the new hot spot for proposals of marriage!

The first one happened when I was closed. The chatty lady that my owner often brings upstairs for the night was here, and she asked him to marry him. Without hesitation, he said 'yes'. And then they left me all alone. But just for a while. He brought her back again, and they were upstairs for very long time. I don't know what goes on upstairs, but both my owner and Chatty Lady--oh, she has a name, it's Lorelai, but she talks so much that I just have to call her that--anyways, they always look very very happy when they come back downstairs.

Now, almost a year later, another person who's here every day got a proposal of marriage: Lane, the waitress girl. Someone I've seen a few times came in and asked her to marry him. She too said yes. I wonder if a music girl will suddenly show up here, because, you know, cause and effect. See, once Chatty Lady proposed, a few months later--there was Chatty Girl. I'm just saying…

Gotta say though, I'm kind of worried. Chatty Lady has not been around as much. And that reminds me of the last time she didn't come around a lot. My owner was shockingly abusive towards me and my visitors. My counters were worn down a lot because he rubbed them more than usual. Oh I appreciate a good microdermabrasion as much as the next place, but five times a day, scrubbing me down with Bon Ami? A little much.

Oh yeah. There was another time, a long time ago, when Chatty Lady was gone for a long time too. I am not going there. So much anger, bad for the karma.

So now, instead of Chatty Lady, there's Chatty Girl. Her name is April. At first, she hurt my owner, pulled out his hair. Now she gets him to look at books and talk a lot. She's a lot like Chatty Lady. I've noticed something strange. Chatty Girl and Chatty Lady apparently live in parallel universes as their paths don't intersect. Well they did once. And that's when I started not seeing Chatty Lady so much. It's sad, because my owner is not himself without Chatty Lady. This all started after Chatty Lady had set some sort of date.

So this is the way it is. I started out life as Williams Hardware, and a good life it was. And then, I lost a lot of credibility when I became Luke's Diner. But now? I think my ship has come in! Because word's going to get around, and soon everyone will come here to propose marriage.

I just hope that Chatty Lady and Luke (that's my owner) actually get married. The same for Lane and the boy. But it's Chatty Lady and Luke that I really worry about. Chatty Lady wouldn't let him paint over my old spot from Williams Hardware, and that's reason enough for me. Also, I'd hate for him to become abusive again and take it out on me. Chatty Girl can only fulfill certain of his needs, or so they tell me. Chatty Lady is the one who puts the spark in his eye, the kindness in his heart, and makes him say things like 'free antioxidants' for everyone.

Now I just have to sit here on my street corner and wait. Wait for more people to propose. Hey, maybe Taylor'll put a plaque on me and people will come here and pay to take a tour!

But don't worry, it may seem I am acting a little out of character right now--my new role has taken some time to process. I mean, it took years before I was comfortable in my skin as Luke's Diner. And now with this new proposal development? Ditto. Hopefully, I'll soon be back to the Luke's Diner you all love and know so well. Dependable. Hospitable. Nothing pretentious. But a very special place, nonetheless. 


End file.
